How to minimise being underinsured

Many Australians, especially those who own businesses, discover they don’t have the cover they need in the worst possible circumstances.

Insurance is one of those subjects that many people glaze over. So, just to test how knowledgeable you are about this important but unsexy topic, see how many of the following you can answer.

Questions

What type of insurance can provide cover if a natural disaster results in my business having to shut down for a period of time?

What type of insurance can provide cover if a client takes legal action against me? In what industries is it mandatory to have this insurance?

What type of insurance can provide a payout to cover costs relating to everything from a broken window to a tax audit to a light-fingered employee?

What type of insurance is legally required if you employ staff? What is the penalty for failing to take out this insurance?

Answers:

Business interruption insurance.

Professional liability insurance (also called professional indemnity insurance). Those working in the medical, accounting, law and financial advice industries.

Business insurance.

Workers’ compensation insurance. It varies from state to state but you’ll typically be at risk of jail time if an employee has been injured (or worse). NSW imposes a ‘double avoided penalty’ equivalent to double the amount you should have paid in workers’ compensation premiums.

One in ten businesses have no cover

If you failed to get all (or any) of the answers right, you can take solace in being a typical Aussie. Survey after survey has shown that Australians don’t have a good grasp on what insurance policies might be relevant to them. Unsurprisingly, Australia is one of the most underinsured nations in the developed world (underinsurance is when an individual or business has no or inadequate insurance to cover their legal liabilities, or the cost of loss or damage to their assets).

The Insurance Council of Australia’s 2015 report on non-insurance in the SME sector showed a non-insurance rate of 12.8 per cent. Paul Nielsen, director and chair of the Council of Small Business Australia (COSBOA), says many SMEs are in denial. “Business owners tend to think it won’t happen to them. Because of this, some SMEs view insurance as dead money,” he says.